The fight against the proposed Mendlesham Renewable Energy Plant continues with the two opposing sides putting forward their arguments.

A hearing is to take place on August 19 for the appeal, made by Eco2 the company behind the proposal, after Mid Suffolk District Council rejected it last year.

Howard Revell from Stradbroke-based pig producer BQP and James Black of Bacton Pigs have sent documents on behalf of some of the biggest agriculture firms in the region to the inspector, who will make a final decision following the hearing.

Mr Revell said in an accompanying letter: “We consider that the allocation of one day, even for an informal hearing, will be wholly insufficient given the scope of the issues in this appeal.

“We will be represented by counsel at any hearing convened and will make application to the inspector to determine the appeal by way of public inquiry.”

The companies, backed by MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Dan Poulter, argue they could be forced out of business as the straw-burning plant would cause the commodity’s price to rise.

No-one from Eco2 was available to comment.

A spokesman for the Planning Inspectorate said: “This is something that is more often or not decided prior to the hearing and not decided then, unless something is released at the hearing that had not been considered before.

“Based on facts presented so far, that’s why its gone to informal hearing.”

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The entire basis for a biomass plant is a nonsense. First of all there is the energy content of straw, which is a fraction of any other combustible material but more importantly, there is no need at all to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. There has never ever been any proof positive that carbon dioxide makes the earth or the atmosphere warmer, despite all the rhetoric! The entire circus around emissions is a political ploy to control the earth's resources and has nothing at all to do with man-made global warming, aka climate change. Be sure that the climate is changing all by itself and has done so for the entire duration of earth's existence. Humans are to the earth's mass only slightly bigger than the ants and they produce vast quantities of carbon dioxide. Shall we ban all ants therefore?! Find the facts and make the right decisions. Availaible for scientific debate.